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Songfest 2003 unofficially began Tuesday night at a closed dress rehearsal in Smothers Theatre. In preparation for the show’s 30th anniversary, five student-led groups, the Faculty, Staff and Alumni group and this year’s six hosts viewed each other’s performances for the first time.
The Songfest tradition started at Pepperdine in 1973 with a “Salute to American Musicals Since the 1940s.” Every March a number of student-led groups, Greek and non-Greek organizations alike, prepare scripts and musical numbers according to the year’s Songfest theme. This year student groups have transformed popular movies into musicals to comply with 2003’s theme: “Songfest: The Musical! Reel Songs, Reel Stories, Reel Different.” Groups may not spend more than $300 on their production, and their performances may not run longer than 12 minutes. Groups are allowed to alter song lyrics, but this year they may not use any songs from their particular movie’s soundtrack. Rehearsal time and costume/set production is limited to 2 1/2 weeks before the curtain rises for that year’s five Songfest performances.
Judging begins tonight and will continue through the Saturday evening performance when the Sweepstakes award will be announced. This year’s celebrity judges include John Ratzenberger, “Cliff” on the popular sitcom “Cheers,” and David Landers, who played “Squiggy” on “Laverne and Shirley.”
The concept for this year’s “Songfest: The Musical!” was developed by executive producer Sam Parmelee. Natalie Lander, Peter Wilson, Janette Deschamps, Brian Jones, Amber Mercomes and Hayley McClelland serve as this year’s hosts, dancing in front of a movie screen showcasing classic films during their segments.
In accordance with this year’s “silver screen” theme, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Sigma Chi and Delta Gamma start off the group performances with their musical rendition of “Romeo and Juliet,” which includes a lyrically altered version of “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” as well as “intact” versions of “Come What May” and ‘N Sync’s “Girlfriend.” The entirely non-Greek group Gamma Ghkkkkket Sigma follows with an interpretation of “Peter Pan,” complete with pink tutu-toting senior Jacob Parnell in the silent but scene-stealing role of Tinkerbell. Their rendition includes “One Day More” from “Les Miserables,” Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and “Kung Fu Fighting.” Sigma Nu, Kappa Alpha Theta and Gamma Phi Beta produce “A League Of Their Own,” ending their performance with “Dirty Dancing’s” “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” which features a reenactment of the Patrick-Swayze/Jennifer-Grey-inspired “lift” seen in the film.
After a brief intermission, Alpha Phi, Psi Upsilon and Delta Delta Delta return with “Braveheart” and add U2’s Bono (played by junior Matthew Chidley) to the mix of “Braveheart” characters. The Pi Beta Phis and Sigma Phi Epsilons end the student group performances with 1980s favorite “The Goonies.” Cyndi Lauper’s “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” makes no appearance here, but her more popular “Time After Time” can’t escape performance. The 30-strong faculty, staff and alumni group take the stage to perform “My Big Fat Greek Songfest,” making their first Songfest appearance in seven years. “My Big Fat Greek Songfest” follows a “greek” Pepperdine student who falls in love with a non-Greek student. Numbers include a fun version of Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” redone and re-titled as “Greek or Not,” and an all-male number of “Brotherhood of Man” from “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
The rehearsal was not without its glitches, which included sound problems and memorization flubs, but most participants expressed a nervous excitement regarding the “real” performances which began Wednesday. Junior Samantha Henry was excited to perform with her Pi Phis and Sig Eps but said she wished they had more time to fully “get it together.” John Grogg, assistant director for Gamma Ghkkkkket Sigma, said his group 
practiced from “10-12 a.m. everyday.” Groups still had last night’s performance to perfect their routine before the advent of judges at tonight’s show.
All of this year’s hosts are “rookies,” none of them having hosted the show before. They, too, have had to adjust their lives to accommodate the demanding Songfest host rehearsal schedule. McClelland has found the schedule intense.
“The six hosts have the most conflicting schedules in the world, but somehow we managed to squeeze in lots of rehearsal time, which usually means 8 a.m. rehearsals or late night rehearsals,” she said in an e-mail interview Monday. “This last week we have probably rehearsed more than 40 hours.”
The show means the hosts are responsible for a diverse collection of material, from performances of Pat Benatar’s classic “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” to the oldies’ hit “Let’s Hang on to What We’ve Got.” The numbers pay tribute to horror films, action flicks and romance movies on the big screen. Katie Ebeling, Pep alumna and Administrative Coordinator for Student Activities, choreographed the hosts’ elaborate routines as well as most of the routines for the faculty, staff and alumni group.
McClelland and Wilson both had a hand in the creation and performance of Psi Upsilon, United Colors and Friends winning production of “Chicago” last year: McClelland as choreographer, Wilson as main performer. Lander, Deschamps and Jones also have extensive performing arts experience on and off the Pepperdine stage. After auditioning at the spur of the moment, Mercomes, however, has become the first freshman host in Songfest history, an honor she finds overwhelming at times.
“I have found myself just stopping and thinking, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I get to do this,’ ” Mercomes said in an e-mail interview.
As a Pepperdine and Songfest alumnus turned staff member, Parmelee can appreciate Mercome’s awe, as he believes Songfest reflects the very heart of Pepperdine. “Where else would vice-president Jeff Pippin (Vice President for Finance and Administration) come and play guitar every night for a week in a campy musical variety show with all of the participating students?” Parmelee asked. “Things like that are what make this event so great, and I think it’s things like Songfest that make Pepperdine such a great place to attend.”
“Songfest: The Musical!” performances run tonight through Saturday, with an extra matinee performance at 2 Saturday. At press time, tickets were available for tonight and Saturday’s matinee.
Submitted March 13, 2003
MALIBU, CA
